Reed's hot start to second half of season fueling LCCC success
Jan. 28—CHEYENNE — Since his arrival at Laramie County Community College, freshman guard Jordan Reed has been one of the most consistent players on the team.
But when the calendar year changed and LCCC came back from its Christmas break, Reed has taken his game to an entirely different level to become one of the most dangerous scorers on the Golden Eagle's roster.
"Sometimes it takes freshman a whole year (to catch up to the speed of the game), and sometimes they never do it," LCCC coach DeWayne Saulsberry said. "It looks like it has only taken Jordan a half (of the season)."
Reed played his high school basketball at the prestigious Manual High in Denver, Colorado — the school that holds the record for most state basketball titles (12). During his senior season, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 29.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game to help his team reach the quarterfinals of the Colorado 3A state championship.
In the process of completing his stand-out senior season, Reed earned Colorado's Gatorade player of the year honors.
Coming out of high school, Reed was one of the coveted recruits of the Eagles signing class due to his accolades and stellar senior year. However, LCCC was not the only team that was in the running for his services.
Reed had offers from a few Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), as well as an offer from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. In the end, Reed chose LCCC because he wanted to get more looks from four-year universities.
That was not the only reason he chose to become an Eagle. During his recruitment process, Saulsberry made a great impression on Reed, which made the decision to come to LCCC much easier. Since then, the two have developed a great relationship.
"He has always looked out for me," Reed said. "From the day I signed, he has checked on me every week. Just making sure that I am good on the basketball court and off the basketball court.
"One thing he definitely gets on me about is making sure my grades are straight. I really appreciate that, just knowing that a coach really cares about me in the classroom and on the court."
Over the course of the first 13 games of the season, Reed played an exceptional role for the team. He finished in double figures seven times during the first half of the season, including three separate 17-point performances. In all, he averaged 10 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game during the first half of the year.
Whenever a high school athlete makes the jump to college, there are always speed bumps and challenges. Over the course of the first half of the season, the speed bump Reed found himself trying to overcome was in using the aggression he plays with.
"I feel like my game was pretty much the same (the first half of the year), but my aggressiveness wasn't there," Reed said. "Coach Saulsberry was the person who pushed me to be aggressive and keep shooting."
Since the calendar turned to 2023, Reed has been able to use that aggressiveness to bring his game to an entirely different level. Since the team's first game back Jan. 6, Reed is averaging 15.4 points per game. During this span, only sophomore Xavier McCord has averaged more points (23.8).
Against Salt Lake Community College, Reed broke his career high by scoring 23 points on 53.8% shooting from the field. He went on to tie that career high the next game in a 95-80 win over Real Salt Lake. One week later, Reed broke that same career high, posting 28 points on 60% shooting while playing 32 minutes during the game.
"I have just been more confident (over the last five games)," Reed said. "(It's just been about) understanding that I am a good basketball player and that my team trusts me. That has been the biggest thing."
Confidence is a fleeting thing in sports. It can take athletes forever to build it up, and just one game to strip it away.
Wednesday night's game against Western Wyoming was a prime example of a game that can completely eliminate confidence. After a stretch of three consecutive 20-point games, Reed finished the with no points on 0-for-5 shooting from the field and looked frustrated at points throughout the game.
Reed said he understands that sometimes, it won't be his night.
"Every shooter and every basketball player is going to have a bad night," he said. "You can't go into the next night thinking you are going to have another bad night, because it is going to continue to happen."
LCCC currently sits with a 11-7 overall record and a 2-0 record in Region IX play. They are riding a three-game winning streak, in part due to the run Reed has been on. But the ultimate goal for the Eagles is to win the Region IX tournament later this year. As long as Reed continues to perform at the level he is at, LCCC will have a good shot at doing so.
"He's a great player and a really talented kid," McCord said. "He has a good head on his shoulders and he is going to be a big piece for us. As long as he keeps doing him and being himself, he will be just fine."
Matt Atencio covers Laramie County prep sports for WyoSports. He can be reached at matencio@wyosports.net. Follow him on Twitter at @MattAtencio5.
